‘I’m with the banned’

By Carol Lucas

Often my Saturday afternoons are spent ruminating about a topic for the next week’s publication. This past Saturday, however, I was fortunate enough to take part in a group presentation that focused upon the topic of book banning, a subject about which I have written before.

October 5 to 11 was designated Banned Books Week, and to focus on this very important issue, the Pat Conroy Center held a symposium of authors that ranged in age from high school and college students to adults with various backgrounds.

Jonathan Haupt, Executive Director of the center, monitored the group presentation in a masterful way that merits acknowledgment and applause. We, as a community, are fortunate to have this man as a steward for our young people who show an interest in such timely issues.

My participation with this group lit the fire for me once again. Make no mistake, those in the community, the state, and nationwide who seek to ban books are still very active, and their attack is ongoing. Therefore, we, too, must stay active.

To understand the current status of book bans in South Carolina schools, consider the following points:

1. As of 2023, more than 100 books have been challenged or banned in S.C. schools.
2. The bans often target books addressing race, gender, and sexuality.
3. Many challenges come from parents and community groups advocating for censorship.
4. The South Carolina legislature has proposed laws to facilitate book bans.
5. School districts have varying policies on handling book challenges.
6. Advocacy groups are actively working to oppose these bans and promote access to diverse literature.

I want to address the third entry, that of parents advocating for censorship. My background is no secret. I taught high school English for 32 years in suburban Pittsburgh, Pa. I repeat this simply because I believe it gives me a bit of credibility on the topic.

I will counter any argument for the removal of a book from the school library or the curriculum with this: 1. You are ignoring psychology 101. If you ban it, kids will definitely find a way to access it. 2. If you are that adamant, seek a parental conference and mutually decide upon another book for your child. I can’t think a teacher would deny that request. 3. On the basis of No. 2, you have the right to decide what “your child” reads. However, you don’t have the right to determine what others read.

When conducting research for the most recent activity in our state, I came upon the following information, which I find disturbing. S.C. leads the nation in school book bans after the state Board of Education voted to remove 10 more titles. This is dated May 8, 2025, and was written by Kevin Connaughton.

“Columbia, SC: Following a vote that removed 10 more books from public schools across the state, South Carolina is now the state with the most ‘state-mandated’ public school book bans in the United States.”

PEN America’s 2024-2025 Index of Banned Books, a source for much of what I have written here, found 6,870 instances of book bans across 23 states and 87 public school districts.

What happens when a book is challenged in schools? Titles can be removed from school curricula or library shelves. Most public schools and libraries have boards made up of elected officials or members appointed by those officials. It is by the power of these that a book can go from challenged to banned in a school district.

Another form of book banning is taking the “challenged” book from the shelves “for review.” While it may seem temporary, I found the process was often extended to the point that basically it was inaccessible.

There is the argument you can just purchase a book if it’s taken off public shelves. But that is true only for those with financial resources. For many, particularly children and young adults, school and public libraries are the only means to access literature.

What follows are two quotes regarding book banning that I believe cut to the heart of the issue.

— “Simply banning a book that depicts rape and racism doesn’t shield readers from facing them in their lives; it just removes another resource that may help them move forward.” – Kate Ellsworth

The same must be said for other traumatic positions kids find themselves in. Please don’t further isolate them by denying access to a book that may possibly help.

— “I grew up a pretty privileged white kid with no personal experience of racism, and I can keenly recall how hot I burned with the unfairness of it reading ‘Roll of Thunder’ for the first time in the second grade. If we want to create more anti-racists, we need to assign more diverse books in schools, and ‘Roll of Thunder’ is still a great place for young readers to start.” – Van Denburgh

What I chose to read at Saturday’s gathering was the closing argument by Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Because of word constraints, I cannot provide the entire speech, but I recommend that you access the entire thing.

“A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up. In the name of God, do your duty.”

Yes, Banned Book Week has concluded; however, our task in fighting censorship has no end, not until such a time when all books are returned to their rightful place. 

I have a great shirt that I am proud to wear. In looking for the source of the clever verbiage, I ran across the book “I’m with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie by Pamela Des Barres.

I was never a groupie (sorry to disappoint), but my shirt reads “I’m with the banned.”

And I always will be.

Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”